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TH1153: On-Line

Teaching Notes

ISAIAH

Please turn in your Bibles to Isaiah chapter 40, as we continue our study through the Word of God. In our last study God told Hezekiah that the Southern Kingdom of Judah would be taken into captivity, not in his day, but in the future. And just under a 100 years from that time, the Babylonians rose up and took Jerusalem and by 586 BC they destroyed the city, its walls, its temple and took the remaining people captive to Babylon, leaving only the old and sick remaining in this devastated land. It is out of this, out of the nation being in captivity, that chapter 40 opens up.

ISAIAH 40

VERSES 1-2

1. These words of comfort from God where just what the people needed to hear. The captivity was going to come to an end, the chastening was over, they were going to return to their land. And this captivity was very difficult for them. In Psalm 137 we can feel the pain they were going through. They said "By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down, yea, we wept When we remembered Zion. We hung our harps Upon the willows in the midst of it. For there those who carried us away captive asked of us a song, And those who plundered us requested mirth, Saying, 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion!' How shall we sing the Lord's song In a foreign land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, Let my right hand forget its skill! If I do not remember you, Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth; If I do not exalt Jerusalem Above my chief joy." Psalm 137:1-6.

2. Their return from the Babylonian captivity was a partial fulfillment of these words. But this is ultimately looking ahead to the Messiah who has forgiven their sin completely and all wars will cease, and the people blessed. A new day is going to dawn as the nation turns to their Messiah, but we won't see that fulfilled till the end of the tribulation period and the setting up of the kingdom!

VERSE 3

1. In speaking of their return from Babylon, God was leading them home, preparing their way. But the New Testament also tells us that John the baptist was the man who prepared the way for the coming of the Lord. (Matthew 3:1-6, Mark 1:1-4, Luke 1:76-78, John 1:23). And John was not preparing a physical landscape but the hearts of the people. He told the people to "...'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!'" Matthew 3:2. And, in a sense, we are doing the same today, preparing people for the Lord's return as the Holy Spirit softens peoples hearts and opens their eyes to Jesus.

VERSES 4-5

1. All obstacles between God and His people will be removed. The flesh won't get in the way. Those obstacles were removed when Jesus came the first time, even though we do allow the flesh to get in the way from time to time. But, ultimately in the kingdom age, all those rough, rocky, roads will be removed, and we will travel on the highway of holiness to worship the Lord.

2. Also, the glory of God was reveled to man when Jesus came the first time, we read in John 1:14, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." And when He comes again we read in Matthew 24:30, "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

VERSES 6-8

1. Here we see a comparison of that which is transient - life; and that which is eternal - God and His Word. When Adam sinned, when he disobeyed God in the garden, God had warned him that in eating that forbidden fruit "dying you will surely die." You see, there was no death, no destruction until sin entered the world and then the second law of thermodynamics or the entropy law was put into play. In that law we see things decay, wind down, move towards disorder and die. But God and His Word will remain. That should be a comfort to all of us as we see nations and leaders come and go, realizing that God is in control and has told us many of the things that are coming to pass. As William Kelly said: "As the end draws nearer we do greatly need simplicity to rest upon God's Word. There may be difficulties to such as we are in, and the Word seems a weak thing to confide in for eternity, but in truth it is more stable than heaven or earth."

VERSE 9

1. We are told in the kingdom age "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea." Isaiah 11:9. And in that day the house of Israel will return to the Lord.

VERSE 10

1. When Jesus comes to set-up His kingdom there will be blessings and judgments. Blessings to those who have received Him, they will enter into the kingdom age. Judgment for those who reject Him, cast into Hades until the great white throne judgment.

VERSE 11

1. Just sit back and get a picture of this in your mind. The Lord, being our shepherd, gathers us into His loving arms, caring us close to His body, protecting us, comforting us, and leading us. That is the love that God has for each of us.

2. The question we may ask now, is "Who is this God?"...

VERSE 12a

1. This God that cares for us is so vast that He holds the waters of this earth in the palm of His hand. Water covers some 71% of the total earth's surface, making the water surface area some 139,692,000 square miles! And it can all be contained in His hand!

VERSE 12b

1. The average span of a man's hand is about 9 inches. But God measures the universe with the span of His hand. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second and the universe has been estimated at being 12 billion light years. To give you just a small idea of the enormity of that, if you were to jump on a light beam you would be able to circle the earth 7 1/2 times in a single second! And God measures it with His hand!

VERSE 12c

1. The evolutionist believes the universe, this earth, and all the life forms on this earth occurred by random chance or good-luck! God says He measured it all out, designed it, and put together the balance for life to exist here.

VERSES 13-14

1. I hate to admit it, but I've tried to tell God what to do from time to time. I've tried to give God some counsel. How foolish. God is all-knowing, He doesn't need to learn anything, He knows it all! Thus, as I pray, God imparts to me what needs to be done instead of me demanding God respond in a certain way.

VERSE 15

1. This is how almighty God looks at the power, the strength of nations, as nothing. Dust on a scale amounted to nothing, and that is how God looked at the power of nations.

VERSES 16-17

1. The forests of Lebanon had those massive, strong, and beautiful cedar trees that God said if you would set ablaze it would amount to nothing before Him. All the animals offered as a sacrifice would not be sufficient to honor almighty God, for He is so vast, so big!

VERSES 18-20

1. In knowing the vastness of God, how are you going to make something to represent Him properly? You can't! But some try anyway and make idols of gold with silver chains. For those who couldn't afford it they will make an image out of wood. The thing is, to keep your god from falling you must put it on a chain or nail it to the ground. A sad concept of Almighty God. In Psalm 115:3-8 we read, "But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, The work of men's hands. They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see; They have ears, but they do not hear; Noses they have, but they do not smell; They have hands, but they do not handle; Feet they have, but they do not walk; Nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them; So is everyone who trusts in them." You will make a god into your own image, satisfying your own ideas of what god is about, and subject to the morals that you have set. And your god will always be less than you are for it can't see, or hear, or speak. You can't make a representation of God, He is too vast, nor does He want us to, in fact He tells us not to do that for our worship would deteriorate around an object instead of the true and living God.

VERSES 21-22a

1. God, speaking to those who think they are so wise, so smart, tells them that He sits above the circle of the earth. During the days of Columbus they still believed that the earth was flat, and if you sailed to far, you would fall off the end of the earth. But here, in the book of Isaiah, written some 750 years before Christ, tells us that the earth is a sphere. Also, in Job 21:10, we are told the same thing, and the book of Job was written some 2,000 years before Christ. Almighty God knew this even though it took man thousands of years to figure this out. If we would only listen!

VERSES 22b-23

1. God is in control, nothing escapes His knowledge. He raises up and brings down nations and people. He is sovereign.

VERSE 24

1. Just speaking of the power of God and the frailty of man and nations.

VERSES 25-26

1. God is so vast you can't compare Him with anyone or anything. In fact He not only created the stars, but calls them by name. Psalm 147:4 says, "He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name." To give you an idea of what that is all about, it has been estimated that just in our Milky Way galaxy alone there are 100 billion stars. And it has been estimate that in the universe there are 100 billion to a trillion galaxies, and you can do the math on that one. And yet, God calls them all by name!

2. God is showing us how vast, how powerful He is. In knowing that, when He speaks of comfort they are not empty words, for what He has promised He is able to perform!

VERSE 27

1. At times it may seem that God has forgotten about us. But He didn't. God allows us to go through various situations for various reasons, with the outcome being that we are drawing closer to Him and being transformed into His image.

VERSES 28-29

1. God knows we are fragile and weak, but there are times He waits for us to realize that so He may work through us, giving Him the glory for what He is doing, and not us.

VERSES 30-31

1. What a great verse but at times misunderstood. You see, when it says we are to "wait" upon the Lord, it speaks of waiting with the expectancy of God coming through and it implies that you are praying and acting upon what God has told you to do. It doesn't mean you are to just kick back and be a couch potato, and God will take care of it all. You do your part, and God will do His!

ISAIAH 41

VERSE 1

1. God, as He sits on the throne, prepares to judge the nations.

VERSES 2-4

1. This seems to be speaking of Cyrus king of Persia who God called by name in Isaiah chapter 45, 150 years before he was even born. You see, as they were in captivity they felt God was not aware of what they were going through, and yet God was working. He had done all this. And I wonder, after their return from exile if they saw this as the hand of God orchestrating it all? It is kind of like the boy who was sliding off the roof, and he prayed to God to help him, and just before he fell off, a nail caught his pants, stopping him. And he said, "Thanks anyway God, the nail stopped me!" You see, God works so many times in natural ways that we don't even recognize or acknowledge what He is doing.

VERSES 5-6

1. The pagan nations, in seeing the might of God, were terrified. But, instead of turning to the Lord, they came together and tried to make idols to help them defeat God. This comes through in the following verses.

VERSE 7

1. The god's they were making had to be fastened to the ground so they would not fall over, and yet they were looking to these god's to help them fight against the true and living God.

VERSE 8

1. We have a special relationship with God, as a people chosen by God, His servants, and His friend. Jesus said in John 15:15, "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you." In saying that, don't bring down God to your level, for He still is a holy and righteous God who can only be approached as the blood of Christ cleanses us from our sins.

2. Now the comparison here, between verses 5-7 and verse 8 of Isaiah 41, is that we are the people of God and should not fall prey to what the lost are doing, worshipping all the things that can't help them! But, by faith, we trust in God, as James 2:23 says, "And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God."

VERSES 9-10

1. Another great verse to treasure in our hearts and apply to our lives. God has adopted us into His family, He chose us. Because of that relationship, we are His children, we should not fear anything that comes our way. We should not become discouraged. We have already looked at the vastness of God, and because of that we have nothing to fear. In our weakness, God will strengthen us. In our trouble, He will help us. In times when we are downcast, He will lift us up, and hold us up, for He is able. As Psalm 42:5 says, "Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance."

VERSE 11

1. An interesting warning for those nations who come against Israel, they will be brought down. America needs to wake-up and heed that warning, don't turn against Israel.

VERSE 12

1. In Genesis 12:3 God said to Abraham "I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." For those nations that turn against Israel, they will be judged by God, and brought to nothing.

VERSE 13

1. Notice what is taking place here. We are not holding God's hand, for we may slip. But He is holding our hand, and His grip is sure, He won't let go. And I think of this as a parent holding their child's hand, what a comfort that is as you go out into the world. There is no fear, because they are holding tight to your hand. That is the image that is being painted here.

VERSE 14

1. A worm was weak, lowly and God looks upon Israel, and us that way. We can't do anything about our condition, but He can. He will help us because He loves us.

VERSES 15-16

1. God is saying that He will take this nation, Israel, who is weak, who is lowly, like a worm, and raise them up. And out of this weakness they will crush those nations that come against them. In 1948, as Israel declared their independence, a war broke out, called the War of Independence. This little nation that was just established, had no army, was being invaded by an enemy that surrounded them numbering in the 80 million range. Israel had no war planes, only one seisina with a pilot and another person on board who was tossing molotov cocktails upon the Egyptian war ships below, and these war ships retreated. Understand it was not because of the strength of Israel, but of their God that they survived that war and were victorious. And you can see this in every war that has been perpetrated upon Israel since that time, the bigger and better equipped enemy was defeated by God. He is fighting for His people.

VERSES 17-20

1. When Israel came into the land in the late 1800's and early 1900's, the land was a barren wasteland. The Turks had destroyed it by cutting down the trees. And, according to the Jewish National Fund, they have now planted, not millions of trees, but billions of trees in the land. The deserts are in bloom again. Israel is the third largest nation in agricultural production, behind the United States and Canada. In fact, 80% of the fruit in the European Community comes from Israel! And God has done this for them.

2. Now God is holding court for all these god's, challenging them to do something instead of just sitting there like a rock!

VERSES 21-22

1. God is saying "You guys are god's right? Then do something. Tell me what is going to happen." It was a challenge.

2. When we read these stories, we think these were simple people and needed these gods to help them in their daily life. But we are more sophisticated today. We don't worship idols any more. Folks, idolatry is alive and well and living not only in America, but the world. You see, whatever is the passion of your life; cars, sports, money, work, women, men, entertainment, music, whatever it may be, that is your god. You see, it has replaced in your life the true and living God, it is more important to you. What consumes your life? What drives you? May it be the true and living God!

VERSES 23-24

1. In God's court they kept silent. They could not speak. And God tells them that they are worthless, which is very true. They are of no help except maybe as a paper weight! And God rebukes those that are placing their trust in them. As Paul said "...we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one." I Corinthians 8:4. Let us not forget that!

VERSE 25

1. This again is speaking of Cyrus, who was from the east, but when he came upon the Babylonians, he did so from the north. And tradition tells us, as they defeated the Babylonians, Daniel came out to meet Cyrus, and showed him the scroll of Isaiah, where God calls Cyrus by name 150 years before his birth. And Cyrus saw the God of Israel which encouraged him to let God's people go, letting them return to Israel.

VERSE 26

1. No idol, no god, has declared this except the true and living God, for He knows the end from the beginning.

VERSES 27-29

1. God said that His people, the Jews, would return to their own land. That Cyrus would be the instrument that He uses to free His people from the Babylonian exile. God has said all this while these idols are silent, not able to speak forth a word, let alone speak of future events that would come to pass. Why trust in emptiness, when you can trust in the true and living God who abides forever? As Revelation 19:6 says "...'Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!'" Revelation 19:6. Chapter 39 closed with a promise of judgment and captivity. And now we see a promise of a return from their exile, freedom for the people of God, a promise from God!